Triway Local School District Educators, firm collaborate on facilities study

Thursday

Jul 19, 2007 at 4:04 AM

By LINDA HALLStaff WriterTRIWAY DISTRICT -- The board of education plans to take another look at its secondary school facilities with the assistance of Harris Day Architects.The firm will compile an assessment of the junior high and the high school, Superintendent David Rice said at Monday evening's board meeting."They know the science rooms are still a priority," Rice said."It is going to take them a couple of months (to complete the study)," he said, adding, he anticipates the board will have a report by September or October.Rice plans to include a note about the assessment in the upcoming district newsletter so that "people start to become aware that we're taking a look at these two buildings."The district made a failed attempt to target aging secondary buildings in August 2004, when residents were asked to approve a 5-mill levy for operating expenses and a 28-year, 2.8-mill bond issue for the renovation of the high school and junior high. An operating levy was subsequently passed.The junior high and high school were scheduled for improvements after permanent improvement funds were used to upgrade the elementary buildings.Rice said in March facility issues have "compounded," turning into a "broader discussion than it was eight to 10 years ago."As summer repair and maintenance continues at each of the district buildings, work to close off rooms at Triway Junior High is ongoing.One of the three previously open classrooms will be used as a multi-handicap unit, new to the junior high in the fall.The high school auxiliary gym locker room additions, a Booster Club project, also are under way.At the next board meeting, "I want to take you out and show you (the project)," Rice told board members.Soundproofing of the high school band room is another project being undertaken.Rice shared preliminary state report card data, noting unofficially, the district is expected to earn 25 out of 30 indicators, distinguishing Triway as an effective district for the third year in a row."There were some new tests this year at different grade levels," Rice said. "We missed the fourth-grade math (standard) by 1.8 percent (two students)," and the standards for the three new tests, "first time out of the box.""We have always shown the second year of new tests we've met the benchmark," Rice said.In her report to the board, Tammy Cruise, who serves as Triway's representative to the Wayne County Schools Career Center, said, "(The Career Center) is still on track with (its) levy."A 0.75-mill, 10-year permanent improvement levy will be on the ballot in November to generate revenue for a Career Center capital improvements project in partnership with the Ohio School Facilities Commission.Rice called the "Getting It Right! For Ohio" school funding constitutional amendment campaign "in limbo," having apparently failed to collect the required 400,000 petition signatures by the board of elections deadline to put an issue on the November ballot."They just rushed (the issue) too much," board president Gary Lehr said.Treasurer Sue Kruse obtained board approval for food service bids for Nickles Bakery and Smith Dairy Products."(The bread cost) is almost exactly the same as last year," Kruse said, adding, "We (purchase) several different kinds of milk (at a variety of prices), but overall, Smith's bid was lower than Reiter's."Reporter Linda Hall can be reached at (330) 264-1125, Ext. 2230, or e-mail lhall@the-daily-record.com.

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